Khursheed
Khursheed is the largest and easternmost of the Seven Kingdoms of Sand. Tawaret lies on its northern border, while Deniz , Alsea , and Zeleka all share its western border. It is most similar to Alsea, being a mostly dry, sandy country inhabited by nomadic clans, but Khursheed has more water than its large western neighbor. Additionally, Khursheed is notable for being extremely equal when it comes to the sexes, with all tasks but actual leadership of the clan being shared by men and women alike. Khursheed is a difficult country, and its people strongly believe that the tasks of living must be carried out by those best suited, both by skill and temperament, to the task, regardless of gender. There are only three careers among the Khurseed nobles that are typically designated to one sex or the other. The leader of the clan is always a woman- leading to the stories of the great warrior-queens of the Khursheed Nomads- while traders who deal with outsiders are typically male, in order to keep female traders from being rejected by less open-minded foreign merchants. Lastly, except in cases of emergencies, tradition dictates that healers may only treat individuals past puberty who are of their own sex- a female healer may treat women and children, but not adult males, and vice versa. In order to ensure that children follow a path well suited for them, the Khursheed nomads practice an elaborate and unique style of apprenticeship. Starting at about age nine, male and female children spend a few months studying each of the major crafts that the clan requires to support its people, rotating from craft to craft roughly once per moon. Masters watch the children for signs of aptitude, who then become apprentices to the master of the craft best suited for them once they are finished with this sampling period. This not only ensures that a child is matched to a craft they enjoy and are suited for, but it also ensures that every young member of the clan becomes familiar with the basics of all the crafts- which could prove to be the difference between life and death in an emergency. The Khursheed nomads, while not suspicious, are very insistant on not depending upon luck. Luck, they claim, is like the lightning- you cannot depend on it to strike twice in the same place. Those who are so foolish to rely upon it tend to find themselves wandering the endless wastes of the desert, dying of heat and thirst and hunger. As a result, the Khursheed are widely known for their careful forethought and planning, learning from a young age to control as many variables as they possibly can. Often, they have layers of planning to accommodate many possible outcomes to a situation. That said, when luck does favor them they are quick to capitilize on it and turn it to their advantage. This makes them extremely formidible in trade, politics, and warfare. The one time that this cultural drive to control what they can is set aside is during a few of their yearly celebrations. Wine flows freely during these celebrations, as does a euphoric, intoxicating syrup derived from the Crown-Beard flower, a blossom that bloomed in the wastes only after the first rains of the year. In some clans, travelers are often plyed with drinks laced with the syrup for the amusment of the nomads. Such travelers who do not manage to entirely disgrace themselves are then welcomed as clan friends. Khursheed is known primarily as the originaly homeland of Wizard Kiran Vinayak .